Princeton Public Library's Annual Marchand Lecture Returns March 19

PRINCETON, NJ — A Princeton University astrophysics professor who co-founded a college education program for incarcerated New Jersey residents will headline the annual Phyllis Marchand Leadership Lecture at the Princeton Public Library on Thursday, March 19.

The free, in-person event begins at 6:30 p.m. in the library's Community Room, with doors opening at 6:15. The Princeton Girlchoir Ensemble of Westrick Music Academy will perform selections celebrating Women's History Month starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by a talk from professor Jenny Greene at 7:15 p.m.

Refreshments and mingling will close out the evening. The event will not be livestreamed but will be posted to the library's YouTube channel within a week.

Greene has been a faculty member in Princeton University's astrophysics department since 2011, where she is known for her research on supermassive black holes and the galaxies around them. She holds a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Yale University and a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University.

She is also co-founder of the Prison Teaching Initiative, which provides college-level courses to people incarcerated in New Jersey correctional facilities. The program also gives Princeton undergraduates hands-on academic and social service experience.

The Girlchoir ensemble performing that evening includes 20 singers, a director and an accompanist. The Princeton Girlchoir, founded in 1989, is now part of Westrick Music Academy, an umbrella organization established in 2018 that also oversees the Princeton Boychoir, launched in 2017.

The Marchand Lecture is an annual event honoring Phyllis Marchand, Princeton Township's longest-serving mayor, who held office for 14 of her 22 years on the Township Committee. Marchand, who died in spring 2021, also held leadership roles in numerous community organizations including D&R Greenway, the Princeton YWCA, McCarter Theatre, HomeFront, Planned Parenthood, the Coalition for Peace Action and the Lymphoma Research Foundation, among others. The lecture series is dedicated to inspiring women to thrive as community leaders.

For more information or to register, visit princetonlibrary.libnet.info/event/15881594 or phyllisleadershipseries.org.